Otters In Space III: Octopus Ascending (Chapter 1)

Art by Idess (www.idessart.com)

by Mary E. Lowd

This is an excerpt from Otters In Space III: Octopus Ascending, a novel published by FurPlanet, June 2017


The pale glow of Jupiter lit the moon’s watery surface.  Europa’s recently melted ocean reflected the gas giant’s ruddy face back at itself, broken by ripples where Brighton’s Destiny disturbed the water on takeoff.

The dark metal V-shape of the two-man spaceship skimmed over the ocean before veering upward in a sharp climb out of Europa’s gravity well.  Spacesuit clad paws eased off on the throttle, and Brighton’s Destiny leveled off into a smooth arc toward Jupiter. Continue reading “Otters In Space III: Octopus Ascending (Chapter 1)”

Unavoidable Part of the Process

The coffee shop I was writing at closed before I finished writing my story. So I went to a second coffee shop, and I had a second chai. And now I feel very caffeinated. But I finished the story!‬


I’ve been getting a lot of writing done lately, and I want to be clear about something — staring at my computer & feeling like I have absolutely no idea how I’ll manage to write even a single word is still a big part of my process.

Stray Thoughts on a Random Day

Talking to the four-year-old about how he needs to settle down and go to sleep, he suddenly got really somber and quiet. A moment later, with absolute seriousness: “I just remembered, I’ve never fallen asleep.”


One of my favorite lines from Michael Copperman during tonight’s discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro’s brilliant novel, “Never Let Me Go,” at Wordcrafters In Eugene — “You’d be surprised how often the heavy-handed, clunky move is the one you need.” Continue reading “Stray Thoughts on a Random Day”